Daily Devotional

Months into my cancer diagnosis, I noticed a shift in the way I looked at life. Before cancer, I focused on the ease of my life. Now everywhere I looked I only saw signs of dis-ease: doctor appointments, blood draws, chemotherapy, and medication after medication. I used to be grateful for my health. Now I routinely obsess over my disease.

The answer, which is obvious but not easy, is to focus on Jesus. Jesus sees us as whole and complete people. He doesn’t draw lines between our physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual makeup. In the Gospels, Jesus heals leprosy, reduces fevers, cures blindness, and increases mobility. But he also challenges prejudices, weeps at suffering, and has compassion on people who were like sheep without a shepherd. He also is anointed by the Spirit, battles the tempter in the desert, and casts out demons.

In Matthew 9, Jesus says first to a paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven,” then second, “Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” Both commands heal the man, and both were needed—we all need some kind of healing, but we tend to focus on the physical. My healing might not be a remission from cancer, but healing will happen. When we surrender every part of who we are to Jesus, we can trust that we will be healed. Sometimes the healing we get isn’t the healing we want, but when Jesus touches someone’s life, healing happens. —Karen Bables

Prayer: Jesus, I know that you care about my wholeness. Please heal what needs healing in my life.